Established in 2002, FriendsWithYou is a unique think-tank who’s work spans all creative realms. Their commercial work for hire division, appropriately named FWYstudios, has developed the image and identity of some of the world’s most prominent brands, such as Nike, MTV, Red Bull, Target, Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers, and Coca-Cola. Their extensive portfolio includes campaign strategy, animation & directorial services, branding and licensing, character design, illustration, print design, product design, packaging & POS, online integration, web and new media.

From fine art to large-scale experiential installations, interactive events, public playgrounds, live performances, animation and multimedia projects, FriendsWithYou has participated in some of the most respected art happenings around the world, including Pictoplasma in Berlin, and Art Basel Miami. They have also exhibited and/or been included in the permanent collections of Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), Haus der Kulturen der Welt Museum Berlin, and Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, amongst others.

“Hey You!” is an artistic response to the January 12th 2010 earthquake in Haiti by Le Set, a New York based art collective made up of seven young artists. The members of Le Set spent an inspirational week in Haiti, volunteering with HealingHaiti.org – teaching art to orphans, delivering water, distributing food, and documenting their journey. The work they created will be presented in a gallery exhibition and published book.

Master collager, James Gallagher, has a new interview up on the ever-growing Gestalten.tv. Gallagher is curating the Cutters Exhibition, which has brought together over 50 artists from around the world to showcase the newly invigorated art form of collage.

Coinciding with the exhibition is the upcoming book, Cutting Edges, which Gallagher co-edited. The book is due to release in March and Gestalten is adding a copy to the TSA Bookshelf, so keep your eyes pealed for that and a handful of other new books over the next few weeks.

To Whom It May Concern: (TWIMC) is an interactive installation which functions as a metaphor for a software application, programmed by Michelle Son, in which the user experience is recreated in a real-time physical space. Having control over the functions and features built into the application, users are invited to step into the programme to explore the features and visual effects by using their sense of smell, touch, sight and sound. Based on the simulated templates of Microsoft Word, users are immersed in a hyper real office environment where the virtual becomes tactile and the template is embellished. Watch the Movie.